Friday, December 01, 2006

The weather today wasn't that bad. For December 1st it was okay. Although I'm the oldest person at Market Probe, there are a few whom aren't that much younger than me. And they are all originally from Saskatchewan or Manitoba and have lived in Toronto for a long time. They like to discuss the weather especially when it's worse out west than here in Toronto: "did you see Winnipeg, 39 below with the wind chill, but it's a dry cold" "Saskatoon was 42 below yesterday which beats your 39 below" "Hah, my aunt in Estevan e-mailed me and mentioned that it was 42 below at 4:30 am"

So even though I don't enjoy the actual job at Market Probe it's a good place to work as far as the people. For example, I've got a Tyler sitting behind me. He's 23, a part-time comedian and he chews snuff 'from his hockey days'. He can be annoying because he wants to try his every new joke out on me. And Amanda sitting to my left. She looks likes she's 30 and she's got three grown kids and she is great to talk to. And Stephen who occupies the cubicle to my right. He's gotta be close to sixty, dresses in black, has the deepest voice I've ever heard and usually wears his hair in a pigtail. I pass my copies of the New Yorker to him after I've read them. And of course Derek, whom maybe, just maybe is about ready to be able to leave Market Probe and make it as an actor or director full-time. And Ben who is in Windsor this weekend at comedy clubs just to get his name out there but who has to work at Market Probe to survive, Canada is a small market. And even at sixty-one I completely identify with them and they know that. But of course I don't have the sense of urgency they have because my time has passed for writing but I can at least be on the same wave length as them

My preference is to be in Creston but I may get annoyed at you all very quickly. Think speed of light: "Robin, you are having your great exalted uncle pick garlic?" "are you talking, get back to work, work is money, you are slow, you don't get it do you, I'm never going to take on old uncles again, their work ethic is good but their production is way down". Clomp, clomp, clomp from the flat's up the highway to Comforts. "hi kevin, how are you, you are cute, Robin fired me". "Robin fired you?" "my quota was down on picking garlic, do you have a job for me?" "what are you good at?" "nuthin" "I'll call ger from the back and we'll assess you, by the way you smell like garlic". "okay here were go, do you weld?" "nope" "can you lift heavy objects?" "nope". Clomp, clomp, clomp to the highway to catch a ride to Jim's. "hi Jimmy, you are amazingly cute, wow, did I tell you that you are not a bad person if you could control your sudden attacks of ego?" "Yes" "is Mr Tire looking to hire?" "we can hire person whom are familiar with tires" "is that the criteria?" "yes" Clomp, clomp, clomp. I don't seem to fit in anywhere.

A picture to cheer us all up on this first day of December. It's not even officially winter yet! Ack. In Toronto this morning we've got sleet, a howling wind and ice-covered sidewalks. If I somehow manage to walk to my bus stop without breaking my neck it will be a miracle. I hope their are some little old ladies out there to help me walk across the street.

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On the bright side, in Calgary and Cranbrook, it's going all the way up to minus eight, and in Creston it's going to be minus three with some sun....get out your shorts and the suntan lotion.